Policy Initiatives

Read our coalition’s letter to regarding the Omnibus Environment Policy Bill (S.F.1115)
05.19.11: Letter to Legislators

Energy

NUCLEAR

Bills:

House File 9 / Senate File 4 – Nuclear power plant certificate of need issuance prohibition elimination
Authors: Rep. Joyce Peppin and Sen. Amy Koch, respectively
This bill will repeal the current statewide moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants in Minnesota. Minnesota has taken significant steps to develop a clean energy economy and repealing the nuclear moratorium will distract the state from further developing homegrown renewable energy. Nuclear power plants are extremely expensive to build, use enormous amounts of water, and produce toxic radioactive waste to which we have not found a permanent solution.

Our coalition’s action:
MEP and our member organizations have testified numerous times against this bill.

Read a letter from our coalition:
02.16.11: Letter to House Floor

Read an op-ed by Steve Morse and John Doll, published Feb. 22, 2011 in the Star Tribune: Misplaced enthusiasm for nuclear energy

COAL

Bills:

House File 72 – Carbon dioxide emissions by utilities ban removed
Author: Rep. Michael Beard
This bill repeals current standards on building new coal fired power plants and allows utilities to build new coal plants without having to offset their pollution emissions, which is a critical part of the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act that had bipartisan support. The cost of coal is rising and there is no need for new baseload energy in Minnesota. Minnesota needs to invest in homegrown, clean energy and efficiencies – not expensive, dirty coal that pollutes our air and water.

Senate File 86 – Carbon dioxide emissions by utilities ban removed
Author: Sen. Julie Rosen
This bill repeals current standards on building new coal fired power plants and allows utilities to build new coal plants without having to offset their pollution emissions, which is a critical part of the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act that had bipartisan support.  The cost of coal is rising and there is no need for new baseload energy in Minnesota.  Minnesota needs to invest in homegrown, clean energy and efficiencies – not expensive, dirty coal that pollutes our air and water.

Our coalition’s action:
MEP and our member organizations have testified against this bill.

Read a letter from our coalition opposing these bills:
03.14.11: Letter to House and Senate

—————————————————–

Water

MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR CRITICAL AREA

Bills:

House File 95 – Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Repeal
Author: Rep. Melissa Hortman
The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA), a narrow corridor that extends from Dayton to Hastings, provides a state designation and framework for protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural resources of our National

Senate File 39 – Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Repeal
Author: Sen. Benjamin Kruse
The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA), a narrow corridor that extends from Dayton to Hastings, provides a state designation and framework for protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural resources of our National Park on the Mississippi River.  This bill would repeal the DNR’s authority to promulgate rules for the MRCCA effectively stripping out all of the protections provided by Minn. Statutes §116G.15, which was amended in 2009 with bipartisan support to direct the DNR to update MRCCA standards and guidelines through state rulemaking.  The DNR has spent the last 18 months developing the standards but missed a January 1 deadline to notice their intent to publish the draft rules. Repeal of the MRCCA rulemaking would be a drastic measure that would eliminate important state-level protection for a resource of statewide and national significance.

This bill was passed March 25, 2011 by the full Senate, 35-27.

Our coalition’s actions:

Read our coalition’s letters to the Legislature about this issue:
01.25.11: Letter to the House and Senate Environment Committees
02.07.11: Letter to the Senate Floor
02.07.11: Letter to the House Floor
03.24.11: Letter to Senate Floor

—————————————————–

Minnesota Environmental Policy Act

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

Bills:

House File 1 / Senate File 42 – Environmental permitting efficiency provided, and environmental review requirements modified
Authored by Rep. Dan Fabian and Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, respectively.
This bill proceeded through committees without adequate discussion of its fiscal or environmental impact and without waiting for the Legislative Auditor’s report on this very same subject.  This bill increases costs to the state through increased requirements for state agency staff to document that federal standards are not strong enough when the agency seeks to adopt more protective standards for Minnesotans.  The bill also allows project proponents to contract directly for preparation of an EIS, which puts the “fox in charge of the chicken coop” and moves environmental review court appeals away from local district courts, reducing local involvement in those appeals.

Governor Mark Dayton signed House File 1into law on March 3, 2011. This legislation is now Chapter 4.

Our coalition’s actions:

Our coalition sent several letters the Legislature and the Governor, outlining our opposition to this legislation:
02.08.11: Letter to the House Floor
02.16.11: Letter to Governor Mark Dayton on IRRRB amendment
02.21.11: Letter to the Senate Floor
03.01.11: Letter to Governor Mark Dayton, asking him to veto bill

We hosted a press conference on March 3, 2011, urging the Legislature to stop the rollbacks on Minnesota’s laws that protect our Great Outdoors. MEP, legislators and members of the public spoke out against HF1. Read the news release from the press conference.

Read MEP’s reaction to the Governor signing of HF1 into law

—————————————————–

Download a PDF of the issue brief.

For more information about this issue, contact:

Patience Caso
Minnesota Environmental Partnership
651-290-0154
patiencecaso@MEPartnership.org

Gary Botzek
Minnesota Environmental Partnership
651-283-4511
gary@capitolconnections.com